Commercial fishery catch rises in 2017

The commercial inland fishery catch totalled 6.5 million kilograms in 2017 compared to 5.8 million kilograms in the previous year, according to the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

During both years, the crayfish catch totalled approximately 850,000 crayfish, with the signal crayfish accounting for roughly 95 per cent.

Its total catch value was EUR 15.3 million in 2017 and EUR 14.9 million in 2016. This was EUR 3 million more than in the previous statistics year of 2014.

“This is the first time statistics of the amount and value of commercial inland fishery is published following the amended Fishing Act. Previously, not all catches were entered into statistics, as there was no comprehensive register of commercial fishers and the catches of many fishers that only sold fish and crayfish occasionally were excluded from the statistics,” said Luke Senior Statistician Mika Rahikainen.

Vendace is the most important inland fish species measured by catch volume (nearly 50 per cent of the total catch) and value (42–45 per cent of the total catch value).

The vendace catch was 3.2 million kilos in 2017 (2.8 million kilos in 2016). The vendace catch values of EUR 5.8 million in 2017 and EUR 6.1 million in 2016 were a little higher than before.

Measured by the catch value, pikeperch was the second most important inland fish species following vendace (EUR 4.5 million).

The pikeperch catch value nearly doubled from 2014. Combined, these two species accounted for three quarters of the total value of the commercial inland fish catch.

Signal crayfish was the third most valuable inland species. Its total catch value was EUR 1.1 million in 2017 and EUR 0.9 million in 2016. Of the total value of the crayfish catch, signal crayfish accounted for roughly 90 per cent and noble crayfish made up 10 per cent.